Wade Tackett has seen the progress in four months.
But Tackett has been coaching long enough to know an 0-5 start to a season casts a gloomy shadow over the rosiest assessment of any coach.
Still, New Hope High School’s first-year football coach is convinced he has seen plenty of positives since he was hired in May to replace Kris Pickle. Even though injuries and personnel changes have contributed to the winless start, Tackett likes the trajectory his program is on as it prepares to take on Caledonia (1-3) in the annual Lowndes County battle at 7 p.m. Friday at Trojan Field.
“These guys are still trying to learn what it takes to win a football game,” Tackett said. “There hasn’t been a lot of success, especially with the junior class. But the ones who are in the field house, in the locker room, on the practice field with us have bought in, are doing what we ask and are putting in the effort to get better.”
Tackett said he sees the improvement in team meetings, in the locker room, and on the practice field. He said he would have loved to have arrived at New Hope High earlier so he could have set his expectations. He believes an earlier arrival would have eased the transition, but he acknowledges there still would have been growing pains as the players adjusted to a new style of doing things.
Tackett said breaking through and earning tangible rewards for hard work is the best way to help the players learn to win. He also said the Trojans have to decide who they want to be and realize they can’t stay the same if they want to make a change.
“The easiest thing to do in the world is nothing, to not change,” Tackett said. “It is a lot harder to change who you are as a football player as far as your work ethic, your mental state, your focus. It is hard to change that, but we’re talking about 15- or 16-year-old young men who are embracing it. They know where they want to be, and we as coaches are trying to teach them the steps they need to take to get there.”
New Hope is coming off a 40-7 loss to Aberdeen at home. The Trojans have scored only 28 points in a start that also includes losses to Forest, West Lauderdale, Houston, and Shannon. After the game against Caledonia, New Hope will kick off Class 4A, Region 4 play against Louisville on Sept. 28.
New Hope has won the last 13 games against Caledonia dating back to the 2004 season. That stretch includes a run of six-straight shutouts from 2008-2013. The Trojans earned a 27-24 victory in 2015, which is the closes game in the series since the teams played one-point games in 2005-07.
Caledonia’s last win in the series was a 14-10 decision on Sept. 10, 2005, at New Hope.
Tackett said he has been a part of rivalry games at Hollandale Simmons (South Delta) and at Grenada (West Point), but this is the first time he has been involved in a county rivalry. He said his players and people in the community have talked to him about the importance of the game.
“What we’re trying to do is to make sure we keep them on the same path, keep their spirits up, keep their hopes up and focus up and teach them every day is an opportunity to get better,” Tackett said.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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